Hypo Versus Isotonic Solutions in Intravenous Fluid Maintenance of Acutelly Ill Pediatric Patients

Basic principles on the prescription of parenteral maintenance fluids in children has been investigated for decades. M.A. Holliday & W.E. Segar, in 1957, published. The Need for Water Maintenance in Parenteral Fluid Therapy [1], presenting a simple formula that results in a hypotonic saline solution equivalent to NaCl 0.2% and dextrose 5% in water, which became widely accepted and used, but a variable incidence of hyponatremia has been reported among cases maintained with this fluid. In a review of literature published in 2003 [2], it was concluded that isotonic saline solution may be used, instead of hypotonic fluid, as an ideal fluid of maintenance.